BAMF confirms German integration course cuts

Having quietly frozen new admissions in December, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) has confirmed that it will significantly limit access to German integration courses.

BAMF to scrap voluntary integration courses

The CDU/CSU-SPD government has confirmed that it will no longer accept applicants who want to take German integration courses voluntarily. 

Integration courses are designed by the German government to help anyone who has recently arrived in Germany to learn basic German language skills, adjust to everyday life, culture and customs. 

Until now, pretty much anyone without sufficient German skills to navigate everyday situations was entitled to take part in a course, with fees paid for by the government. This included non-EU residents, EU residents and even German citizens (e.g. people with a German passport by ancestry who were new to Germany).

Certain groups are obliged to take part in the courses, for example non-EU citizens who the BAMF determines have insufficient German skills to make themselves understood in everyday situations. Until further notice, the German government will only fund courses for this group.

The policy change means many migrants will lose the opportunity to develop their German skills to the level required for vocational training in Germany, typically B2 or C1. For example, a newcomer may still be obliged to take part in a state-funded A1-level course, but would have to pay out of their own pocket to attend a B1 course. 

The alternative, private language courses, can cost between 1.500 and 2.000 euros per level. Around 130.000 people will be impacted by the new restrictions, largely people seeking asylum and refugees from Ukraine.

Criticism comes from inside coalition

The decision comes amid Germany’s record-high worker shortage. “I wonder why such people are being held back, even though we have the problem that we are not only lacking skilled workers, but also other workers,” Peter Hermanns of the Berlin-Brandenburg International Association told Tagesschau.

Politicians within the CDU/CSU-SPD coalition have also criticised the decision. According to Tagesschau, a spokesperson for Labour Minister Bärbel Bas (SPD) said it made sense that all residents had the opportunity to take part in a funded integration course.

Commissioner for Integration Natalie Pawlik agreed that the policy change was misguided. “In integration courses, people learn German and get to know how everyday life works in Germany,” Pawlik said. “On this basis, they can take part in our society and integrate themselves into the labour market.”

The commissioner warned that the cuts are likely to cost more in the long-run, since it will be harder for migrants to access the labour market through language skills and become financially independent.